That France’s 🇫🇷 Bastille Day and America’s 🇺🇸 National Macaroni and Cheese Day share a date is quite the cosmic co-occurrence. There’s zero indication that the trade associations that registered the food holiday a decade ago had any clue about the dish’s deep French connection——and Chef James Hemings (b. 1765), who brought his French culinary training and the foundations of the dish back to America, was most certainly not on their radar. Nor, surely, was the almost unbelievable fact that he was actually there in Paris when the Revolution erupted—along with his sister Sally, Thomas Jefferson, and Jefferson’s daughters.

Through my scholarship, research, and writings on colonial-era foodways in general—and Chef Hemings’ work in particular—I’ve noticed cosmic chronological coincidences like these. And with consistent dot-connecting, I’ve been able to illuminate and share previously “hidden in plain sight” gems and historical gold nuggets containing uncanny, interwoven occurrences . . .

Kind of like an ‘unearthing and polishing of bits & pieces’ journey I’ve been dedicated to since first being introduced some moons ago to James Hemings' legacy by Chef Ashbell McElveen, the visionary behind founding the James Hemings Society, which I helped him co-found over a decade ago…

In the earlier 2000s, Ashbell was the first on record to publicly provide the facts in full context: including that in 1789, James Hemings was a young, enslaved American in Paris (owned by Thomas Jefferson), having been there for five years learning, apprenticing, applying and mastering the French culinary arts in the most prestigious, influential and royal kitchens in Paris. And at that point in time, James was serving as the head chef at Thomas Jefferson’s home, the Hôtel de Langeac (which also functioned as the American embassy). 

On the morning of July 14th, James was likely doing exactly what a master chef did then and still does—procuring, prepping, and consistently executing high-caliber menus. Because his market runs would take him deep into the heart of Paris not far from the fortress, he would’ve had to navigate and negotiate his way through a city abuzz in active revol—all while trying to secure provisions for Jefferson’s table that day— or perhaps to plan an upcoming elaborate multi-course dinner menu.

Over the course of the years James had cooked for notable figures like the Marquis de Lafayette and even for Marie Antoinette's royal circle, and the Queen herself — who was later immortalized in popular culture as indulging in ultra-lavish feasts behind palace walls—oblivious to the coming storm.

[📸 Image credit: film frames from “Marie Antoinette” (2006, Columbia Pictures). Used under fair use for educational commentary.]

With the incendiary storming of the Bastille erupting all around, James once again was eyewitness to the birth of another Revolution — the French one this time — thus anchoring him to two of the western world’s defining historical moments, an Atlantic ocean and several years apart.

And the culinary revolution James brought back to America was also something to pay attention to. Mac & cheese is just one example of how he adapted French saucery and pasta making techniques he’d mastered in Paris and over time married them with simpler baked dishes popular during the era. The result? A cross-cultural masterpiece that permanently redefined American comfort food.

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Hungry for more? Including the stories behind all of those ‘special-occasion’ mac & cheese casserole snapshots you see in the photo carousel above? And why there is nary a pic of any boxed mac & cheese aberration to be found?…To get bigger portions of the story (stories!), you've got options and choices:

1. subscribe to my Substack and/or join my Patreon community which each provide pathways to connect with me directly.

2. Learn about (and perhaps partake in!) a James Hemings-centered Dining Experience I’m co-facilitating in Paris later this year!

3. In the meantime be sure to check out Ashbell's fantastic documentary, “James Hemings: Ghost in America’s Kitchen” (keep an eye out for my cameo clip! 😉).

There are myriad ways for you to choose inclusive intel over ignorance and pull up a seat at a more honest American table — and I look forward to communing with you there!

BUT WAIT, THERE’S EVEN MORE CONNECTED COSMIC-NESS to UNCOVER and CONVEY!….

Sending major happy birthday well wishes TODAY to an incredible contemporary colleague, Chef Tanya Holland, born on this historic day—nearly two centuries after James witnessed the revolution(s) Furthermore, this American-born, classically French trained (and French speaking!) Chef Holland recently launched her UVA course in June of 2026 : From Hemings to Holland: African American French-Trained Chefs with VA Roots — making the cosmic timing and alignment of this date even more goose-bumpy ✨…

Cheers to you on your birthday, Chef Tanya ! 🎊

🎉Joyeux anniversaire !

Clearly, James' legacy reverberates across time—having laid a nutrient-rich soil that sprouted American cuisine so to speak, most certainly inspiring uniquely American culinary greats like Chef Edna Lewis, born nearly 150 years after James made his mark (on the same April day as Thomas Jefferson, no less!) in a neighboring Virginia county—historically linked to Madison, Jefferson’s close friend and political ally and a plantation where James’ skills were ‘shared’…[this geographic synergy was initially shared in by Culinary Historian and Virginian native extraordinaire — Mr. Michael Twitty on an Edna Lewis panel we were both on back in 2013, each of us honored to be book-ending (pun intended) the late great Knopf Cookbook Editor Judith Jones …

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INDUSTRY ACCESS: What I do and refer to as “Applied Culinary History” can serve as cultural intelligence and strategic capital for proprietors, restaurateurs, chefs, bartenders and other professionals in the hospitality industry — as well as for places, products and brands throughout the wider food & beverage ecosystem. July’s a great time to celebrate America’s major milestones—via iconic drinks & dishes originally developed by our nation’s first classically trained chef (Hemings)—an integral part of our nation’s narrative, quietly serving as an invisible yet profoundly influential architect of American food identity. When you’re ready to unleash the power of hidden history, let’s make some timeless magic happen ✨ 🥂 ✨ …👉 Contact 👈 me  directly.

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For now 🍳 CHECK OUT my 🇺🇸 America’s 250th and JAMES HEMINGS HUBs on Linktree to learn why I've established #JamesHemingsJuly : Dig in deeper and discover more on America's first master chef and his unmatched culinary legacy .

🖇️ SEE my whole LINKTREE for at-a-glance updates, info & experiential events [+ subscribe so you won't miss a single bite of hidden history as it continues to unfold…]

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